The future of elite and professional women’s road cycling in the United States is at a crossroads. Despite major successes at the international level—Team USA’s female cyclists secured six Olympic medals at Paris 2024—the domestic racing scene is faltering. A shrinking race calendar, financial instability and a lack of development opportunities have forced several elite and continental teams to either fold or downsize.
While some of the nation’s top cyclists secure contracts abroad, many up-and-coming riders struggle to gain the experience and exposure needed to compete at the professional level.
To help bridge this gap, apparel company JAKROO is again launching a Women’s Composite Team, designed to provide aspiring female cyclists with access to top-tier competition that might otherwise be out of reach.
The company today opened its call for athletes for the invite-only 2025 Redlands Bicycle Classic and Armed Forces Cycling Classic.
“One of the biggest holes [in the U.S. race scene] is the lack of teams and opportunities for race starts,” Kristen Arnold, a cycling coach and current Women’s Development Road Director for Team USA, told Cycling Weekly.
Arnold will be part of the team's leadership alongside Julie Kuliecza, a former professional cyclist and Executive Director of the Amy D. Foundation.
“It’s a struggling landscape. There are fewer women’s elite teams than there have ever been in the last ten years," said Arnold. "I personally know of a lot of riders that are looking for opportunities to race because so many teams have folded, and they don't have the means or capacity to move over to Europe and try to get on European teams. So they're looking for opportunities to race the U.S.”
JAKROO’s program aims to provide a much-needed opportunity for both aspiring cyclists and veteran racers who are finding themselves without a team this season.
The races
The composite team’s first race opportunity will come in April at the Redland Bicycle Classic. The California race is one of the longest-running stage races in the United States, with a history of 38 editions. The multi-day event features both challenging mountain stages and fast-paced urban circuits, and attracts some of the toughests competition in the nation.
A second race opportunity comes in early June at the 2025 Armed Forces Cycling Classic in Arlington, Virginia. First held in 1998, this hotly contested event consists of two days of high-speed criterium racing and is one of the rare opportunities for riders to earn some coveted UCI points on U.S. soil.
Jakroo Women's Composite Team
The application process for being part of the composite team is now open. Riders accepted into the program will receive entry fees, housing, race apparel, onsite race and logistical assistance and, of course, the opportunity to gain valuable experience and exposure at two premier events in the country.
Selection Criteria & Eligibility:
Interested riders must:
- Hold a valid USA Cycling Racing License (or UCI International Racing License)
- Be in good standing with USA Cycling, UCI, U.S. Center for SafeSport, and USADA
- Obtain a Rider Release Form from their current team two weeks before the event
- Meet the minimum category requirements (Cat 2 or 3) or provide evidence of an upcoming upgrade
- Submit a race resume with top results and provide two references
- Complete the SafeSport Trained Program with certification from the last 12 months
Application can be found here. Deadlines are:
- Redlands Classic: Applications due by February 25, 2025
- Armed Forces Classic: Applications due by April 17, 2025
